Hacking internationally. The leaked files show the enormous scale of Chinese operations
The files show that the Chinese intelligence and government-connected hacking groups carry out gigantic hacking operations to exploit security holes. They are trying to spy on government, infrastructure, and even private companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft.
7:58 AM EST, February 22, 2024
The source is credible
The source of the links remains unknown, but cybersecurity experts confirmed that the files are credible.
The company from which the files were leaked is called I-Soon. It is a private company hired by China's government, namely the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. The firm provides spying and hacking services called ATP, which is short for Advanced Persistent Threat.
Huge scale of the operations
The hacking scale is enormous. It turns out that the company was spying on several governments, including India, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, the United States, and the UK’s National Crime Agency. Private companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft were also spied on. Private social media accounts were also under scrutiny.
The documents were published anonymously on an IT platform that stores data and code GitHub. They were then picked up and shared by the Taiwanese security researcher.
John Hultquist, chief analyst of Mandiant Intelligence, a cybersecurity firm owned by Google Cloud, shared some of his insights and commented on the situation. We quote after the Washington Post:
We rarely get such unfettered access to the inner workings of any intelligence operation. We have every reason to believe this is the authentic data of a contractor supporting global and domestic cyberespionage operations out of China.
The ongoing global tensions
The geopolitical situation has not been so tense since the end of the Cold War. The Ukraine War reaches its two-year mark in two days. The war between Israel and Hamas is ongoing, and the humanitarian crisis in Palestine is beyond a gruesome state. China has declared that it aims at 'retrieving' Taiwan before the mark of 2050.
We have to wait for further developments in the case.
Sources: The Washington Post; The Stack; malwarebytes.com
